Locking device for dumping-hoppers



J. LOCKHA'RT. LOCKING DEVICE FOR nuMP'me H'OPPERS. APPLICATION F IL'ED MAYZG, 191-9.

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UNHTED STATES PATENT orr ce.

JAMES LOCKHART, or LAKEWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAKEWOOD ENGINEERING COMPANY, or LAKEWOOD, care, A CORPORATION or onto.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR DUMPING-HOPPERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 19,1921.

Application filed May 26, 1919. Serial No. 299,739.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES LOCKHART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lakewood, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locking Devices for Dumping-Hoppers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to dumping cars, which as to their general construction may be described as comprising a frame mounted upon wheels, either road wheels or track wheels, and upon the frame there is mounted a hopper adapted to contain material to be transported, which hopper is so mounted that it may be moved to a position in which the material contained therein will be discharged from the hopper usually by gravity.

The object of the present invention is to provide an efficient mechanism whereby the hopper may be maintained and locked in its nondischarging position, but upon the manipulation of the aforesaid mechanism the hopper is released so that it may move to its discharging position.

Generally speaking, the invention may be said to comprise the elements and the combination thereof set forth in the accompanying claim.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of a dumping car embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the car shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a dumping car comprising a main frame which may be enerally indicated at 1. This frame is essentially rectangular in form and is preferably made up of channel members which form the side pieces and end pieces of the frame.

The frame has associated therewith suitable journal boxes 2, which receive the ends of an axle 3 and the axle carries wheels 4, which as shown are track wheels, although it will be understood that road wheels may be substituted where desired.

At each end of the frame 1 there is an end frame generally indicated at 5. This end frame comprising upright members 6 at each end thereof, the upright members supporting at their tops a cross member 7. The various components of this frame are suitably braced with respect to each other and there are suitable means for securing the upri ht members 6 to the frame, all of which form no vention.

Between the frame members 6 whichhave just been described, there extends a hopper S. This hopper in the present instance may particular part of this in be described as a V-shaped hopper, inasmuch as its sides converge toward the lower portion of the hopper. The hopper has end pieces which may be generally represented at 9, these end pieces having secured to them a fixture 10, this fixture has a flange 11 which cooperates with the inner side of the cross member 7 andthe fixture also has a curved flange 12 which engages with the upper side of the member 7 and is adapted to roll upon this member. The under side of the curved member 12 is provided with projecting studs 13. which are adapted to cooperate with suitable holes or openings in the member 7 as the flange 12 rolls upon the member 7.

Secured to the opposite sides of the hopper and adjacent one end thereof is a frame which comprises substantially straight side members 14 and angularly extending members lfywhich meet and are secured to the bottom of the hopper in any desired manner, as indicated at 16. The frame which has just been described may be made of strap material and when associated with and secured to the hopper in the manner indicated as shown in the drawings forms a rigid frame.

Mounted upon a portion of the frame are two supports which are indicated at Hand 18. These supports are preferably formed as castings having a base portion which is bolted tothe frame, and also being formed with upwardly extending ears 17 and 18 cars of which support being spaced apart.

Between each pair of ears there is pivoted a lever which may be generally represented at 19. This lever comprises a nose portion 19*, which extends upon one side of its pivotal point 20 and an arm 19 which extends upon the opposite side of its pivotal point. A member 19 extends between each pair of cars of the supports 17 and 18 and is pivoted to the ears as indicated at 20.

The aforesaid members 19 are so pivoted with respect to their centers of gravity that as normally to lie on the outside of each of the side members when the hopper is in'its upright or nondischarging position, as shown in Fig. 1. When in this position it will be seen that the hopper is retained and locked against movement, because of the engagement of the latches or member 19 with the frame. I l

l/Vhen in this position the hopper may be loaded with material and it is immaterial whether the hopper be loaded evenly or whether the hopper is so loaded that the center of gravity of the load is on one side of the center of the hopper.

If it be desired to have the hopper discharge toward the right, as shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines, the latch 19 which is at the left of the drawing is elevated, and on the other hand if it be desired to discharge the hopper toward the left, the latch at the right hand side, as shown in the drawings, is elevated.

By the foregoing provision it will be seen that the arrangement described is much superior to any arrangement whereby the hopper is wholly released or unlocked when it is desired to cause the hopper to discharge. F or instance, it might well happen that in loading the hopper the material was so disposed within the hopper, that the center of gravity of the load, lay to the left of the center of the hopper, and under such a situation, if the hopper is entirely released, gravity would tend to cause the hopper to discharge at the left of the car and if it was the desire to discharge the hopper toward the right of the car, it would be necessary by physical force to restrain the hopper against such movement and move it upon its trunnions until the center of gravity of the full discharging position.

With the construction which has just been described, it will be apparent that under the conditions as to loading of the hopper which have just been described, release of the latch at the left hand side of the hopper will not permit the hopper to move toward the left because it will be retained at the latch at the right of the hopper, so that all the attention that need be given for the purpose of dumping the hopper is to roll it sumciently far for the center of gravity of the load to pass beyond the point of support of the hopper.

F or the purpose of operating the latches, chains 25 are provided, these chains being at one end fastened to the arm of the'latch and at the other end secured to a portion of the frame. 1 v

When the hopper has been moved to discharging position or in fact when the frame has moved beyond the latch which has been operated to permit the hopper to move to dumping position, the latch may be dropped, and when the hopper returns to its initial position it will be seen that the nose of the latch will be engaged by one of the slanting members 15 forming a part of the frame which is secured to the hopper and will depress the nose of the latch so that the frame may slip over the latch whereupon the latch drops into a position behind the upright member 14 of the frame, thus again locking the frame, and so looking the hopper against movement.

While in the present construction the hopper is shown as mentioned on a rolling trunnion, it will be understood thatother forms of mounting for the hopper, as well as other shapes for the hopper, may be employed without parting from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

The combination with a frame, of a hopper, cooperating trunnion members upon the frame and hopper, a member carried by the hopper and provided with slanting sides, a pair of spaced pivoted members, said pivoted members engaging the said member carried by the hopper to lock the hopper in non-discharging position, movement of either of said pivoted members permitting the hopper to move to discharging position upon the opposite side of the frame with respect to the pivoted member, the other of said pivoted members retaining the hopper against movement in a direction opposite to that in which it is released for dumping.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

JAMES LOCKHART. 

